The Difference Between Senegalese, Havana, and Kinky (Marley) Twists

There are a variety of ways you can use extensions to twist your hair. The most common are kinky twists, Senegalese twists and havana twists. This post will explain the difference between the three.

Kinky Twists

Kinky twists, also known as marley twists, are simplest of the the three. It is usually done with marley hair which comes in pre-separated section. I recommend Equal and Janet Collection marley hair because I’ve used both these brands before. To install kinky twists:

Take one piece of marley hair and bend it about half-way through the section.

Separate the strands, and make sure the ends of the hair taper off. This makes the end of the twist appear natural.

Place that bend around the section of hair that you want to attach the hair to. At this point you should have three pieces of hair.

Start braiding for about an inch.

Twist all the way down to the end. Use gel and twist tightly so the twist does not unravel.

Take a scissors or razor and shave off excess hair.

Dip twist in boiling water for neat effect.

Havana Twists

Havana Twists are also done with marley hair, but differ from kinky twists in that the place where the marley hair is attached to the hair is undetectable. Though you can do kinky twists as big as you want, havana twists tend to be bigger than kinky twists. To install havana twists:

Take the piece of marley hair and bend it about half-way through the section.

Separate the strands, and make sure the ends of the hair taper off. Again, this makes the end of the twist appear natural.

Section off hair that you want to attach marley hair to.

Divide that section into two sections.

Place the “bend” of the marley hair in between the two sections.

Take the right section of marley hair, along with your natural hair which should be right next to it, and twist it clockwise. Continue twisting for about three inches.

Repeat previous step on the left, but twist it counter-clockwise.

Take two sections of hair and twist, continuing to twist the right and left sections of hair clockwise and anti-clockwise, respectively. Even though this method of twisting decreases unravelling, you may want to use gel as you twist.

Take a scissors or razor and shave off excess hair.

Dip twist in boiling water for neat effect.

Senegalese Twists

Senegalese twists, also known as rope twists, are done using the same method as havana twists, except usually Kanekelon jumbo braiding hair is used. It’s straighter than marley hair and most times your’e able to see where the synthetic hair is attached. You can use marley hair, but depending on how big you do them, they would essentially be the same thing as havana twists.